Shoe-sewing machine



J. M. LEVANGIE. SHOPSEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1918.

Patented June 8, 1920.

UNlTED OFFICE.

JOHN LEVANGIE, 91? SOUTH BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF EATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.

Patented June 8, 1920.

I To all whom it may concern citizcnof the United States, residing at South Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Sewing Machines; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to shoe sewing machines and is intended primarily as an improvement on inseam shoe sewmg machines which are adapted to sew welted or turn shoes. An example of this class of machines is fully illustrated in the patent to Eppler No. 1,108,560, issued August 25, 1914.

Machines of this class as heretofore constructed have been provided with a back rest slide or slide-gage, against the forward end of which the shoe is held during the sewing operation and which at a certain period of each cycle of operations is held locked in position so that the shoe cannot be pulled backwardly by the action of the stitch forming devices during the formation of a stitch. In machines as heretofore constructed, the end of the back rest slide which comes in contact with the shoe has been made of metal,

and it has been found in practice that the metal end of the back rest slide is liable to damage the leather in the shoe upper. To overcome this difficulty, the operators of sewing machines of this character sometimes cover the for-ward end of the back rest slide with leather or cloth.

It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby a pad or buffer may be firmly secured on the forward end of the back rest slide, and may be quickly and easily changed by the operator whenever a change becomes necessary or desirable. lVith this object in view, a feature of the invention resides in the provision of a clamplng device secured to the forward end of the back rest slide which may be readily opened and closed, so that a pad of felt or similar substance may be inserted in the clamping device when it is I open, and may be held securely in position on the end of the back rest slide when the clamping device is closed.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of cars or projections on one of the clamping members which constitute the clamping device, to hold the pad against lateral movement in the clamping device.

in additional object of the invention is to provide means for holding the pad stiff within the clamp. To this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a steel pin extending through that portion of the felt pad which is held within the clamp, said pin having its ends flush with the felt so that said ends will be engaged by the clamp as it is closed.

Ether features of the invention consist of certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts, the advantages of which will be obvious to one skilled in the art. I

The various features of the invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which :Figure 1 is a left-hand side elevation of a shoe sewing machine embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the clamping device showing the device closed; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the clamping device showing the device open; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the pad and the clamping device, looking from the left.

T he sewing machine illustrated in the drawings is provided with the usual stitch forming instrumentalities, comprising a curved hook needle 2, a looper l, a thread finger 6, a welt-guide 8, and a back rest slide 10.

The back rest slide, as illustrated, is similar to that shown in the patent to Eppler, above referred to, with the exception of the pad and clamping device therefor. According to the present invention, there is provided a pad 28 of felt or similar substance which is secured to the forward end of the back rest slide and against which the shoe is adapted to be held during the sewing operation. This pad is secured to the forward end of said slide by means of a clamp comprising wo clamping members relatively movable toward and away from each'other so that the clamp may be closed to hold a pad securely against movement, or may be opened and a new pad inserted. The clamp in 2' device comprises a clamping member 30 which ispinned to a plate 32 formed in- V tegrallywith screw 34 which is screwed into the forward end of the back rest sl1de 10.v

' manner,-s aid clamping member has a tongue or projection 38 formed thereon which is received between the plate 32 and the fixed clamping member 80, said plate being cut away between-its ends to form a recess in which thetongue 38 slides as the clamp is i opened and closed.

The ends 40 of the plate 32 are of greater thickness-than themiddle part of said plate and the tongue 38 is held against lateral movement by said ends, which form the sides of the recess in which the tongue 38 slides. The clamping device is opened and closedby a cam lever 42 pivotally mounted on a pin 4A which is secured in the tongue 38. "The cam surface of the lever 42 cooperates with the lower edge of the plate 32 and as the lever is moved from the positiOn shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig.

- 2, the engagement of said cam surface with the plate 32 enables the lever to sl1de the clamping member 36 relatively to the clamping member 30 to close the clamp.

Thefelt-pad 28 has recesses 46 formed in the upper and lower surfaces of said pad and when the clamping device is closed by the cam lever 42, inwardly-bent projecting portions 4-8 and 50 formed on the clamping members 36 and 30, respectively, engage in said recesses and prevent any possible forward and rearward movement of the pad within the clamp. It is also desirable to hold'the pad against any possible lateral movement and to this end the clamping member 30 has formed thereon two forwardly bent projecting portions 52 and 54 which engage the pad at its right and left ends.

As the clamping members are drawn together by the action of the cam lever 42,

the-squeezing action of the clamping device would cause the felt pad to be distorted or bent, within said clamping members and would cause said pad to become loose therein unless some stiiiening means were provided to prevent such action taking place. cording to the present invention, there is provided, a steel pin 58 extending through the felt pad in a substantially vertical direction just rearwardly of the recesses as formed in the pad. This pin is of such length that its ends are flush with the surface of the pad when the clamp is closed so that the clamping members engage the ends of the pin at such a time, and that portion of the felt which is held within the clamping members is prevented from being bent and distorted by the squeezing action.

The nature and scope of the present in vention having been indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as'new is 1. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, aback rest slide, a pad, and means for securing the pad to the forward end of the back rest slide, said means comprising a clamp and means for opening and closing the clamp.

2. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, aback rest slide, a pad,

a clamp for-securing-said pad to the for- -wardend of the back rest slide comprising two relatively movable clamping members, and a cam lever formoving saiclinembers relatively to each other to open and close the clamp. V

3. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a back rest slide, a pad, a clamp for securing'said pad to the forward end -'of the back rest slide, comprising a clamping member fixed on said back rest slide and a clamping member slidably mounted thereon, and a cam lever pivoted on said slidable clamping member for opening and closing the clamp.

4. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a back rest slide, a pad, and a clamp for securing said pad to the forward end of the back rest slide, comprising two relatively movablev clamping members, one of said clamping members having projections formed thereon to prevent longitudinal movement of the pad within the clamp.

5. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a back rest slide, apad, a clamp engaging a portion of said pad to secure said pad to the forward end of the back rest slide, and means for stiffening that portion of thepad which is engaged by the clamp to prevent bending of the pad by said clamp.

'6. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a back rest slide, a pad, a clamp engaging a portion ofsaid pad to secure said pad to the back rest slide, and a pin extending through the pad and engaged at its ends by said clamp when the clamp is closed.

7. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a back rest slide, a pad, a clamp for securing said pad to the back rest slide, comprising two relatively movable clamping members, said clamping members having inwardly extending projections formed thereon, means for moving the clamping members relatively to open and close the clamp, and a pm extending through the JOHN M. LEVANGlE. 

